Serbia voter turnout highest in decades as students oppose longtime leader
Summary
Serbia’s snap parliamentary election recorded turnout of 64.9 percent by 17:00 GMT, the highest since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992. The vote pits the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, led by Aleksandar Vučić, against a student-backed movement that grew from protests demanding accountability and action against corruption.Key Facts
- Polls closed at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, with initial results expected a few hours later.
- The State Election Commission reported 64.9 percent turnout by 17:00 GMT; turnout alone does not show which side gained support.
- The Serbian Progressive Party has governed since 2012 and is seeking to retain power.
- The student-backed Student List – Students Win is fielding candidates from professions including medicine and education.
- The protests began after a canopy collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people.
- Election watchdog CRTA reported pressure on voters or election workers at nearly a third of the 500 polling stations it monitored, as well as failures to protect ballot secrecy.
- CeSID had received about 260 reports of potential irregularities by 5 p.m. local time, including ballot photography and group voting.
- About 6.5 million people were eligible to vote for 250 parliamentary seats; a party or coalition needs 126 seats for a majority.
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